Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, it's your meat episode. Let's get right into it, okay? So the scripture of the week this week is 1 Timothy 5.8. But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and it's worse than an unbeliever. Guys, I took a lot of time to unpack that verse in our spiritual kickoff episode. So go back in your podcast feed if you haven't listened to it yet, because that's some heavy stuff right there in that verse, okay? And again, we do the spiritual kickoffs Monday through Friday, fellas. It's free because we call it daily spiritual kickoff. So if you enjoy those, head over to thelionwithin.us and get started with your daily spiritual kickoff experience today, okay? Now we I told you this week we're gonna be unpacking one of the studies that we have on the UVersion Bible lab. And this one is called I'm Just a Guy Wrestling with Money. Okay, and I get it, man. Like money is a tough topic. It is very tough. It can be very touchy for dudes, right? Well it doesn't have to be. And we're gonna walk through a few common traps right here on this podcast to help you explore some fresh ways to reframe how we view money and stewardship. So I don't care if you're earning 20 grand or 250,000. Like these there's some reflections here that are designed to help you grow in your discipleship journey and align your finances with God's purpose. And God gives us these different levels, fellas, but we're not all the same, okay? And and the whole spiritual kickoff episode talked about the pressure to provide and how that is a real pressure that we can't escape. It's just there. But how we manage it is a big difference because if we give it to God, man, there's there's just so much to freedom there, okay? So we're gonna break this up in a couple different sections. The first part right here we're gonna look at is the lust of the flesh. Okay? Now, in the book of James, the first chapter, verses 14 and 15, says, But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it has run his course, brings forth death. We we recognize that, right? Now, I'm just gonna share some stories with you as we think about this. Uh when I was growing up, I had one of the greatest fishing adventures of my life when I was 12 years old. Okay, it was at it was at Carolina Beach. It was at their their pier there, and our family, we love going there every year. I still take my family there. And pier fishing with my dad and my brother was uh it didn't get any better than that, okay? Particularly because they didn't like going out on the boats. Some funny stories there, but I won't I won't go there. So I'll I'll save dad and my brother the embarrassment on that. But anyway, but the pier it was something else. Now, this year we happened to visit during what's called a spot run, okay? And a spot is a large, uh, well, it's not a large, but it's a it's called an Atlantic spot. And these large schools of fish come together really close to the shore. And I'm gonna tell you what, I create, we created a memory that weekend for all of us that we'll never forget. Uh if you ever done any fear fishing, uh, or if you ever just walked down on a on a pier and just watch people fishing, you may notice that when they throw out a rig, it has two or three hooks. And usually you sit and you have a heavyweight at the bottom, you throw it out and you just sit patiently and wait for a for a bite. But during spot runs, uh uh it gets things shift up a little bit, okay? We were you would basically just lower your line straight down, two or three hooks, and you as soon as it hit the water, there were fish on, buddy, fish on, and ready to be reeled in. And you were pulling them up two or three at a time. I and and I I can I can attest to this. You can even use bare hooks. There were times where I forgot to put bait on it. I just drop it down, and the spot would hit anything that came there. I mean, they just thought whatever was there, they it it was that we were just it was you you full you filled up coolers like it was unbelievable. Pure fishing chaos. I'm talking about shoulder to shoulder, got guys stacked as tight as you can get on there, lines line after line, things getting tangled up from time to time, and it's just unbelievable. And those spots were unaware of any of those hooks that were in the water. They just were. They just all they want new is they wanted to bite it and they wanted it bad. Now, why'd I tell you that? Well, fast forward to my early 20s. And next thing I know, I was just lacking spot. And my bait, it had four tires and a four-wheel drive. Saying that I love trucks is very much an understatement, boys. I love them. And when I graduated college, my first thought was I deserve this. I'll tell you what, that one decision began a snowball of poor financial choices. I mean, again, the hook was always there. Negative equity, I don't care about that. I'll just roll into my next loan. I was a lone spot out there swimming when it was a bunch of shiny lures. And for too long, I satisfied my craving with that intoxicating new vehicle smell. You know what it smells like, right, guys? I don't remember because it smelled so it's been so long, but man, I remembered it was awesome. And that desire to feel a certain way was really pulling at me hard. And it wasn't until I stopped to examine my modus that I realized I was uh tying my perceived identity to something that literally just sat in the driveway. Okay. And then I mean, for me, it was trucks. For you, it may be other things. Maybe this motorcycles, boats, or guns, or houses or something else. I don't know. But the point here is there's nothing wrong with nice things so long as they don't have us. Like I want you guys to have nice things. I just don't want the nice things to have you. And the lust of the flesh was was was had a firm grip on me. And it took a radical change to break free. I mean, there uh and and at the time when I wrote this devo, I didn't have a truck. We have one now on the farm, preferably. Uh, but I know one thing, what when we got this, the truck that we have now, it don't own me. Do I like it? For sure. Do we use it for the farm? Absolutely. But it done had that that hold that those early trucks did in my 20s. And it was through God's wisdom that he provided conviction, you know, in that area that I needed. And he gave me just enough clarity to see that my cravings were leading me away from him. And that moment of insight was a gift, and one that began a really slow, necessary work of replacing impulsive desires with eternal ones. And he provided me the nudge I didn't know I needed. You know, and when you read this verse out here in James, um, I pause and I like to think, if I this and this question is super useful, guys, if you're brave enough to ask it. But ask yourself this. If I wanted to take myself out, what would I use as bait? Now, if you're brave enough to ask it, are you brave enough to answer it? And whatever the thing is, again, for me, it was trucks. It was a big deal. I know for a lot of you guys is guns. I got I got a lot of gun heads that are connected with the lion. Or it could be jujitsu, or it could be um uh motorcycles and boats or vacations, whatever it may be. But if that thing could take you out, you better put some guardrails around it. And that's where your diligence and your spiritual attention must turn. Because here's the thing about bait, guys, it always looks good. That bait looked incredible to the spot. That those trucks look incredible to me until the hook sets. And when the hook sets, you can't do nothing by it. You gotta fight. And usually you don't lose that fight. So we've got to stay alert. We've got to stay grounded in truth. And we've got to remember, fellas, that real freedom comes when we desire Christ above anything else in this world, particularly anything that the evil is gonna dangle in front of us. So right now, I just want you to think about what is the bait that is tempting you the most? And are your possessions the things that you own? Are they owning you or are they serving you? Now think about that, fellas. All right. So that's the lust of the flesh. We're gonna take a break, we'll be right back. Let's just say it out loud. Marriage is one of the greatest gifts that God can give a man, and one of the most consistent places where we can feel unsure of what we're doing. Even the strongest marriages have moments where you look at your wife and you think, you know what, I love you. I'm so committed to you. But right now I have no idea what I should do next. And that's why we launched something new inside the lion within us community. It's our very first support group, and it's for husbands, and we're calling it committed and occasionally confused. This isn't just a place for men in crisis. Though if you're there, hey, you're welcome. This is for any man who refuses to coast and wants to take his marriage from good to great. So inside, you'll find an active chat and a feed, honest conversations, and brotherhood that says, you're not alone. We've been there. Let's bring this to God and grow. And we're also doing a monthly couples night where your wife is invited because we're not letting the world set the agenda for our homes. Now, if you want access to this support group, it's very simple. Go to thelionwithin.us and join the Lion's Den. Okay, that's the LionWithin.us. Start your 30-day free trial of the Lion's Den community, and boom, you have instant access to the committed and occasionally confused support group. We'll see you inside the den. All right, guys, we're back. So look, we just covered the lust of the flesh. So now we're gonna move to the lust of the eyes, okay? Ecclesiastes 5.10 tells us one who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor who loves abundance with his income. This too is futility. All right. Now, let's think about this for a minute. So the lust of the eyes, for me, and again, I'm just trying to give you some personal reflections to think about. Quite often it stole my joy around Christmas time for far too long. And quite frankly, I'm recording this right. We're coming up on the Christmas season. So uh this is probably good timing. And as the man of the house, uh, I put a lot of pressure, enormous amounts of pressure on myself to ensure that everybody gets exactly what they wanted each year, right? And I would start off, I was very diligent. I start off with a budget, how much money we're gonna spend, how we're gonna do this. But the moment my kids mentioned something that was not on the list, it almost became an obsession for me, to be honest, to make sure that it somehow found its way under the tree. Okay. And the pressure, let's just face it, boys. I mean, when when you uh after when you get home from trek or treating, Christmas starts. Okay, that's just when it starts, man. I'm telling you. And by Christmas Eve, uh, it can feel like you're just in a full-blown pressure cooker. You know, you start swiping credit cards, you throw all the cost into the win. And to make matters worse for us, whenever we visited friends during the holiday season, uh, I found myself, admittedly, comparing where we were to where they were. How many presents did they have under a tree? How many presents do we have under a tree? What type of decorations do they have? What type of decorations do we have? Look at the the way they decorate the outside of the house. We should do that for our house. You see where this ghost buds, fellas? And quite often, our family would be on the short end of the stick. We'd have fewer gifts or not as nice decorations, and that created a heavy sense of guilt that was hard to shake. And when you take guilt and you mix it with the relentless desire for more, man, that's a really good recipe for the lust of the eyes to take root. And I had to ask myself, would there ever be an end to for my desire for more? What was the perfect number of gifts? What was the perfect item that would finally fully and satisfy my children's wishes? And why was I tying my success as a man to such a superficial metric as a number of stinking Christmas presents? Are you kidding me? And the tipping point became really when I realized that chasing the mirage of just one more thing would never satisfy. Because for some reason, I I was thinking that contentment could be bought or wrapped in paper. And that's never going to bring peace, is it? Maybe that's why so many families are so stressed out beyond belief at Christmas, instead of actually enjoying what the season's all about. So I needed a reframe. I don't know, maybe you do too. I started by calling out that thought every time I heard myself saying, I want to have something, I would call it out. And that little small act of recognition was a step forward, okay, to breaking the cycle. It was my way of surrendering the struggle to God rather than trying to control it myself. And that practice has been powerful. It's really helped me in my stewardship journey. It helped me rewire what the enemy has quietly planted in my heart, the hunger for more. Because it's just there. It really is. And here's the beautiful truth. When the world says more, Jesus says enough, bro. Enough. So perspective is crucial for our spiritual growth. And he gently, the Holy Spirit, reminded me that presence is greater than presence. Okay. Presence with a C E is greater than presence with a T, right? And my worth as a father isn't measured in wrapping paper, guys. It's in love. And that's for you. It's measured in time, it's measured in intentionality. And God start began helping me with my eyes see what truly matters. And the freedom to let go to stuff that just doesn't. And Solomon, right here, he nails it right when he warned us. There's no amount of money or possession that's going to ever satisfy us. The true commitment, the contentment that we're that we seek for, guys, is only found in Christ. And so I don't know if this has helped, but think about this. Where have you noticed the lust of the eyes creeping up in your life? And this is a big one too. This question here. How has comparison stolen your contentment lately? And that's the hard one for me to answer, still. Because I find myself comparing all the time. And it's something I have to repent from, turn from, just give it back to God. If you need support with that, I get it, bro. I need support with it too. So reach out to us. Again, the Lion Within is community is here for stuff like this, okay? But the lust of the eyes is a real deal. So we've covered so just to recap, we've covered so far the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. We'll take a quick break. We'll come back and unpack one more. If there's one habit that can change a home, it's this when a husband prays with his wife, not because it's a magic formula, but because it recenters your marriage under God's authority and care. And let's be honest, a lot of guys want to do it. But most don't know how to start without it feeling awkward. Maybe you've tried it before and it felt forced. Or maybe you've never tried it because you don't even know what to say. Or maybe you're thinking, man, I'm not a pastor, I'm just a guy. And that's why we created this guide. It's our how to pray with your wife. Simple guide. It's biblical, it's practical, and it's designed to help you start praying with your wife in a way that actually feels natural. So it's a five-section guide and it gives you a simple framework to get started. Okay, it makes sure everything is grounded in scripture. And it also has a powerful PDF that you can pull up whenever you need, especially when things get off, because they're gonna get off. That's normal. So this is all about reclaiming your marriage and reclaiming the spiritual leadership reigns of your home. Because praying with your wife is one of the strongest ways to fight for unity, to build trust, and to write the ship when life starts to pull you off a course. So if you're ready, get access today at thelionwithin.us slash guides. That's thelionwithin.us slash guides. And start unleashing the lion within at home by leading your marriage through prayer. All right, guys, welcome back. So now we're gonna dive right into this last this what we have the lust, lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. And Proverbs 16, 18 says, Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. All right. Let's think about that. Now, there's a funny saying out there about budgets, and you can name them. We just call ours Mr. Budget. And quite often Mr. Budget says no, you know, and I used to hate those words, I'm gonna be honest. There was a time when my spending had spiraled completely out of control. From the outside, things looked cool. Like we had nice vehicles, we were we had fairly decent clothes and nice neighborhood, right? But every month there was a nagging weight would settle as I reviewed the numbers and realized, man, we're in the red. And I didn't sound an alarm or I didn't want to burden anybody or my wife. So what I did, I just stayed quiet. That's what guys do. And occasionally, maybe I would suggest that we skip a purchase, but the underlying belief was this if my family wanted it, it was my job to provide it, no matter the cost. And that pressure that I put on a provider was relentless and unsustainable. But I found out something as I thought about this more and more. The real culprit wasn't money, it was pride. For a long for far too long, I let my pride keep me from taking a corrective action. And uh I'd I rationalize our situation, you know, and start convincing myself that this was just temporary or we're gonna we can justify this. And and then I heard a line, bro, when I heard that line, it hit me just like a between the eyes, like a two by four. When you start to rationalize what you're really doing, because you're you're often just telling yourself rational lies. Like, that is hard. But it's true. And something had to change. And the only question was, how long was I gonna let it fester before I did something about it? And then the turning point, again, turning to God's word, Proverbs 16 reminds me, pride goes before destruction. So no man ever wakes up in the day, today, and wakes up and says, today's the day I'm gonna ruin my finances. But buddy, the small, repeated decisions we make every day either lead us towards peace or destruction. So I had to swallow my pride. And I had to sit down, my wife had to tell her the truth. And quite frankly, that was scary. I didn't know what she was gonna think. Admitting a wick a weakness to our to the one person that I wanted to protect, felt like um I was exposing to her a massive kink in my armor. But because I'm married right, boys, she she responded with grace. She's like, I'm all in. Whatever's caught God's calling us to do, I'm all in. And that conversation shifted everything. And I remember it. I remember sitting there with her and it's how how it changed everything. We sold our vehicles, uh, we cut up some credit cards, Mr. Budget moved in permanently. We still joke about, we hate Mr. Budget, but he was the accountability partner that we both needed, particularly me. And the biggest breakthrough wasn't just in the numbers. It was in how my heart felt. When I finally surrendered my finances to God and asked for his wisdom, everything started to shift. And that doesn't happen because I'd figured it all out. It because it happened because I got out of the way. And at the core of the matter, what God showed me wasn't a bailout or some quick fix. It was just courage, right? It was courage to speak the truth, courage to confront the pride, courage to let someone in, and courage to make some changes. But behind that courage was his state of hand. Reminded me that I didn't have to do this alone. And I don't know about you. Maybe you're tired of pretending that you're fine. Maybe the pressure is just crushing you. And if that's if that's where you're at right now, take it to God. The enemy does not want you to do that. The enemy wants you to hold on to it. He wants you to isolate yourself. He wants you to drown in shame and believe that you have to fix this on your own. That is not freedom, bro. That is bondage. But the moment you invite God into your financial life, change are going to start falling off, bro. They're at least going to get looser. Now, it may require some radical adjustments. Okay, and it may not be easy. But if you handle the finances his way, it's going to lead to the peace that passes all understanding that this world just can't offer you. So take the first step. Tell the truth. Ask for help. And let God show you what real financial freedom looks like, fellas. Pride is the big one. I mean, it's probably the biggest one for guys. We need to think about that. So think about this question: where is pride affecting your financial decisions right now? And then what rational lies, you heard me talk about that earlier, are you telling yourself financially? Because, buddy, the the the it can keep spinning over and over and over until we choose to address it directly. And it's my prayer that you don't just keep on spinning those lies, fellas. Walk in the freedom of Christ. All right, fellas, we're gonna take our last break and we'll come back. Go finish this up. If you're tired of going at it alone, we understand every man needs wise counsel, but finding it can be quite the challenge. That's why we build our leadership masterminds. This isn't just more content, guys. It's real discipleship with a consistent rhythm, small cohorts of no more than seven guys, honest hot seat sessions, and biblical counsel that turns good intentions into action. You'll get accountability, clarity, and a circle of brothers who will challenge you and cheer you on. We open up new options regularly so there's room to find the right fit. It's not always easy, but it is worth it. The first step is simple. Take the leadership mastermind assessment. No pressure, no hype, just thoughtful questions to help you see where you are, where God is leading you, and whether this is a good option for your next step. Hey, if it's a fit, we're gonna follow up with details. And if it's not, we'll point you to resources to help you keep growing. Either way, you move forward. So if you're ready to take the assessment, head over to thelionwithin.us slash mastermind. So that's thelion within dot us slash mastermind to get moving today. All right guys, welcome back. So look, we talked about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I'm just a guy, you know, working with money and trying to figure this stuff out. So I think we probably need to talk about redefining rich. And let's look at Luke 12. In verse 15, it says, He said to them, Beware and be on the guard against every form of greed, for you don't for not even when one is affluent, does his life consistent consist of his possessions? And the whole word rich that we want to think about is uh is worth considering right here. A few things for me come to mind. Maybe it's because I grew up in the you know 80s and early 90s. Uh I think of Scrooge McDuck. I don't know about you, but uh, as a kid, uh that just seemed like a dream. Just to be able to jump off and dive into a to a vault full of gold, man. Uh that that seemed pretty cool. Uh then the older I got, my rich shifted, and it really shifted to some of my sports heroes. I mean, my number one guy was Greg Maddox, that was my guy. Then you have Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, guys like that. Uh and those guys appeared to live lives without limits, man. Without limits. And then I look in the mirror, uh, or worse, I look in my bank account, and I'd feel a wave of an advocacy guys. And my understanding of rich had been shaped by status, money, and material abundance. That's what it was. It wasn't any truth. Uh, I can only see what I lacked, what I didn't have. I wasn't seeing what God had already provided. And somewhere along the way, uh, I started tying my self-worth to the number of zeros I saw on the screen. Do you feel that? Instead of remembering who God created me to be. And and I mean, isn't it? Even when I was writing this, my wife had just had to snap me out of another spiral of comparison and combination. Because I'm telling you, fellas, old lies die hard. And even uh recently we took our uh a few of our kids camping, and at the time we didn't have a truck. And logistically, it felt clunky, right? But uh I took that minor inconvenience and and and I turned that into a full-blown pity party. Like I turned it into a two a three-year-old with a tantrum. Not that the whole idea of not enough, I couldn't get over it. But here's the truth for that weekend. My kids didn't care what we drove. Are you kidding me? We were going camping. They just wanted to have fun. They just want to be with their dad. They just cared that we had some firewood, a look, some s'mores, and we had a little bit of an adventure. They could care less what how we got there. And the minivan did just fine. Right? We did. It's a great weekend we had. This is where I tripped myself up. Again, I confuse wants with needs. But when I step back and actually reflect on how God's moved in my life, I can see it clearly. He's always provided exactly what we need every single time. And when I think about specific instances where he provided, it wasn't like a breakthrough deal or a massive raise or some big windfall. It was simpler. It was clarity. Usually a reminder that I'm not defined by the world's metrics. He gave me enough strength to show up and enough grace to silence the lies, and enough love for my family to keep me grounded. And that's more than enough. Maybe that's the heart of it, guys, as we kind of get to at the end here. Maybe being rich has got nothing to do with money. And everything to do with alignment. Our hearts aligned to God. Because when we let God reshape our view of being rich, we we can start really getting focused on on the things that matter. Like for me, when I look in my wife's eyes, I mean there's something about just looking in her eyes. I love it. Or hearing one of my kids call me daddy. Never gets old. Or sitting beside a pond and just taking deep breaths. I did this yesterday. Literally just did it yesterday. And with every birthday, I'm more convinced more than ever. Peace of mind does not live in a bank account, guys. It lives in the presence of God. So if you are wrestling with money, you know, I I hope that these reflections have encouraged you just a little bit. And the traps of this world are real. The evil one is relentless, and he knows how to how the the best way to get us. But it's my prayer that you'll begin recognizing now and step into the freedom of stewarding your finances the way that he desires. So I'm sharing for you every step of the way. And I hopefully these reflections have been helpful. And I want you to just think about what lines have shaped your view of being financially rich. And where has God already provided you with what you truly need? Think about that. And look, if you enjoy this, again, this is on the UVersion Bible app. So just open up the Bible app. You can go through this with others. So this would be something that you want to go through with a couple buddies, man, do it. Just search I'm Just a Guy Wrestling with Money, it'll pop right up. If you actually follow the U the Lion Within Us on UVersion, I created a collection. It's the I'm Just a Guy series. So you'll find it right in there, okay? And again, if you're feeling pressures about providing, that's real. I get that. And if you need someone to talk to, the Lion Within Us community is here for that. I'm telling you, we have some really great experts that are just versed in finance and budgeting and investing. And if you just want someone to bounce some ideas off of, head over to thelionwithin.us, start your lion's den community access. You get a month for free, guys. Just pop in and see what it's all about. And I'll plug, just let me know that you need some support here, and I'll plug you in with the right people to get you connected, okay? All right, guys. Well, look, if you won't mind, give us a rating review. That will be awesome. Uh connect with us again, the lionwithin.us. The Bible app is a big one for us. Guys, we have our daily spiritual kickoff, put in an application for the leadership mastermind. That would be awesome if you did that as well. We'll just see if that's a good fit for you. It may not be right now for the season of life, but if it is, we'll reach out. We'll have a good conversation with you, okay? All right, guys. Look, we you know our fun Friday uh has shifted. We have this new member spotlight focus. So come on Friday. You want to enjoy hanging out and uh hearing from one of our members directly. So look forward to seeing you there. Thank you again. Rating and review, if you don't mind. They they do help, fellas. Believe it or not, they do help. Uh, if you want to be a donor of the show, the lionwithin.us slash donate. You can donate to us there. We'd love to have your support each and every month. All right, have a great day, guys. Get after it and just keep unleashing the lion within. If you've ever opened the Bible and had the thought, where do I even start? Brother, you're not alone. I've had those moments all too often. And I found that having a guide was helpful. And that's why we created the I'm just a guy series on the Bible app. They're short, they're honest, and they help you read scripture and walk it out. And these plans speak to the real stuff that we're wrestling with as men, like marriage, anxiety, loneliness, shame, pornography, and so much more. Now do this all without pretending or piling on a bunch of self-help nonsense. And lots of guys are using them in their small groups, and they're helping to spark honest conversations and take simple next steps in their discipleship journey. So if that sounds helpful, check them out at the lionwithin.us slash U versions. That's Y-O-U-D-E-R-S-I-O-N. Or just open up your Bible app and search for the Lion Within Us. And it's my hope that these reflections will encourage you in just a few minutes and help you walk with Him all day long.